The Sacrifice of 21
by TheCyver
Summary: A novelization of the end of the Android 21 arc, with my own dramatic effect mixed heavily in. This is the warrior group's desperate battle against the evil that is Android 21. First DragonBall fic in a very long time for me. Hope you enjoy. Goku may seem slightly out of character.


**The Sacrifice of 21**

Black clouds blotted the heavenly skies of the lush world known as the home of the Supreme Kais. A flash of white stuck, followed by a loud and thunderous boom. A whirl of strong wind whisked by, blowing hard across the battlefield. Craters, large, small, and many sizes in between dotted the landscape far and wide.

A crash suddenly sounded. Dust was flown high and wide into the air. An impact!

Red and black light flashed rapidly against two golden glows. They flew at one another repeatedly, bouncing and rebounding, jumping chaotically from one part of the sky to the next, the ground erupting into the air with each raging collision.

An angry scream sounded from a blond spiky haired warrior dressed in form fitting sharp blue and white armor over his chest. Only taking a brief moment to collect himself, the man flared up his golden aura once again before jumping head first back into battle with a loud and blood curdling scream. With a series of complex spins and flips, the man came up to his opponent in record speed and sent a hard kick into them. A woman of purple skin dressed in large white gi pants and a single black tube top covering her chest was sent hurling to the ground, groaning loudly at the strike.

Seeing her departure, the spiky haired blond narrowed his glare towards her. He was covered in a vast number of marks, most likely all gained from the intense battle.

"Alright, Vegeta!" a cheerful voice shouted praise. He immediately took the warrior's attention, and floating nearby him at the same level of air was his life long rival. A carefree man he was, a child at heart, yet was a genius in battle through and through. He could be serious when he needed to be, and as much as he hated to admit it, was stronger than even himself. But maybe that quality alone was what served to encourage and push himself further and further past his limits. "You really got a good hit there, good on ya!"

An angry groan. "Shut up, Kakarot. It's not over yet, in case you haven't noticed… Look down there."

"Kakarot", as the man was called, turned his eyes from his ally to have his large smile quickly replaced by a look of growing concern. His eyes tightened briefly. Far down below the glowing pair stood the purple woman dressed in white and black, lifting a hand up to her mouth and giving a yawn, completely unscathed.

"Darn..." the other blond man said, clenching a heavy fist. "Android 21 just keeps regenerating… We can't go on like this..." He turned his attention to look towards the many other fighters far from them, watching the spectacular and tense battle that would decide the fate of their home world, Earth. There were many of them standing there, each damaged moreso than the last.

"Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha, Krillin… Even Gohan and the boys…" The calmer man looked towards their opponent. "We're the only ones left who can stand up to her. Even our 21 can't heal that fast." His eyes darted to look at a woman who appeared almost identical to their opponent, save for her pink skin and blue eyes of white. The look on her face, she was watching the two of them, completely amazed by their power and feats through the link system.

On a knee she sat, holding her bare left shoulder and was heavily injured. If this was a contest for the most hurt amongst them, she would have won first place hands down. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "We have to try to finish this quickly, we can't last much longer against an opponent like this, Vegeta."

Vegeta groaned out in frustration. "Who cares, look, just stay out of my way and this will be over!" Again, his power flared madly and he rushed for her with a loud scream. His descent upon the purple 21 was swift, but she was all too prepared for him. With a flourish of her hand, she summoned forth a flurry of black and red energy spheres. Seeing this, Vegeta threw his arms up and crossed them over his face, knowing he was going much too fast to stop himself now.

The pink 21 closed her eyes, flinching at the sounds of the impact and feeling the brush of wind that followed. A scream then surfaced from Vegeta, snatching her attention in an instant.

The other blond floating high in the air leaned forward in a panic, clenching tight fists. Down below, he saw that Vegeta, despite having tanked her first attack well enough, could not have prepared for the furious two handed hammer the evil 21 gave him with a fabulous spin. Vegeta flew fast like a ball, his back falling into the ground after only traveling ten or fifteen yards.

"Oh no, Vegeta..." the short bald fighter, Krillin, muttered. He took a worried step forward, panting, trying to recover whatever strength and energy he could. "Goku!" Krillin shot his gaze towards his best friend, "you have to stop her!"

Goku, the blond warrior who was fighting alongside Vegeta, stared on, holding himself back. "I… I can't, not without the link! Without it, I can't fight her. I'd be powerless!"

A blonde woman stood amongst the throng of injured fighters, next to an injured Namekian and a boy who shared looks and qualities to her. That woman was Android 18, glaring holes towards the back of Android 21's evil persona.

"Man, she's stupidly tough." the boy said, clenching his right shoulder tightly. 18 turned her eyes to him, but he did not return the gesture.

"I know..." 18 quietly responded.

Far out in the battlefield, Vegeta could barely move anymore. He lay in a long streak of disturbed soil, a harsh bruise forming against his left cheek. "D-" an angry groan, the Saiyan prince rubbed the back of his left elbow into the ground to push himself up, "damn you..."

In a second, he could feel all ability to fight leave him. With wide eyes, he turned to his chest to see a glowing gold ball slowly surface from within his chest, a resolute and calm hum sounding from the mysterious entity.

"No!" Vegeta reached out for it. "Not yet, I can still fight!"

The glowing form seemed to ignore his call and began to fly into the air, headed straight for the other glowing blond high above.

"Come on, we can still do this." Vegeta clenched a tight fist towards the object, closing an eye tightly, his brows contorting as beads of sweat coated his forehead. "You and me, come on… I'm not through yet… You know I can take much more than this."

 **You need to recover for now.**

"No, once more!"

The evil 21 merely crossed her arms in delight, seeming fully amused by the spectacle. She watched as the slow moving ball of golden light continued to climb up to where her next opponent would undoubtedly be. A teethy and evil smile came upon her face, seeing that the soul that was her true enemy had chosen Goku. "Ah… keep trying, kid, the results will only be the same." Her red eyes shrunk slightly as her smile became more deranged. "I'm going to turn all of you into candy and gobble you up!"

Goku watched from above as 21's red eyes locked on him for only a small moment. He braced himself for an attack, but much to his surprise, she turned her attention from him. It was worse. She was now headed towards his fallen comrade. Seeing this, Goku's eyes widened and he turned to the glowing ball of light that was rushing as fast as it could towards him. His eyes began to dart, going from the evil 21 to Vegeta, then to the coming soul before snapping back to 21. They had to hurry, or else Vegeta was going to become a dessert. That was no way for a warrior such as himself to go. He just hoped that when the link was finally formed, would he be able to actually make a difference.

"Come on, come on! Hurry it up, will ya!?"

Piccolo narrowed his eyes towards the situation. He knew full well what every second here entailed. "No, it won't make it..." the Namekian muttered. Hearing this, Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, Android 17, and Android 18 turned to look at the green man. "I know its trying, but 21 will have reached Vegeta long before Goku can form the link."

"So you're saying..." Yamcha's eyes tightened in growing fear, "that its over for Vegeta?.."

"Unless he can pull out a miracle, then yeah." Piccolo groaned as he hunched over, falling down to one of his knees. "She'll turn him into a meal and feast on him, becoming much stronger in the process." His head turned to the ground. "Ignoring our injuries, without the link, we can't fight. No one here other than that soul can stop her now."

A sound step came to their ears. With a quick turn of heads, they could see their pink ally, the good persona of Android 21, take to her feet. Her eyes were furrowed in determination. With a bit of a waver, she took another step forwards, almost falling over in the process.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Tien said, reaching a hand out towards her. "You can't go over there-"

"I can try to just buy some time." 21 told him, hunching over slightly. "Even without the link, I..." Her eyes closed partly, as if she was contemplating heavy thoughts. "I can still move. I may not be as strong, but I can hold her off."

Piccolo reached out and took hold of her wrist, stopping her advance. "No, I won't allow you to do something so stupid. She'll kill you."

"Please, let me go. This is all my fault, I have to take responsibility." 21 told him with a kind assertiveness.

"And I'm saying no. I understand your feelings, trust me, but if she eats you, we'll have no chance at all."

The pink woman with blue eyes blinked at the green man before a calm and warm smile came. "Thank you… for caring about something like me, Piccolo… It really means a lot… I mean that, but if we want to save Vegeta, then this is the only way. I…" She turned her head away from him. "I have no plans on turning into candy. And unlike the rest of you, I can heal."

The rest of the group stared at her as she spoke her words.

"My regeneration may not be as potent and fast as _hers_ , but I am still able to do so regardless. I just have to hold her off until Goku's link can form, right?" Piccolo's eyes blinked, his grip slowly beginning to relinquish upon her. "So… let me go…"

The Namekian closed his eyes and lowered his chin, finally complying with the woman's wish. A small smile was her thanks, even though he couldn't see it. And without a moment of hesitation, she took off with one small step and flew forward as fast as she could.

A sound footstep came against the ground, making Vegeta lift his head to look over his chest. His eyes barely shook, seeing a light purple skinned woman standing over him with a sadistic glare in her eyes. She was holding a single index finger up, pointing to the sky.

"You..." Vegeta cursed. "You'll pay!" He lifted an arm up, aiming his open gloved palm dead on at her, but alas, not a spec of energy would form. Becoming even more frustrated, he gripped a tight fist, blocking her face with his hand as if he were crushing her head. "I'll make you… I swear I will."

"Sure..." the evil 21 told him with a coy tone. "I guess you could give me a bit of a stomach ache, or maybe even gas… But it still won't matter, because you'll be right where you belong." Her smile became maniacal. "Inside of my belly!"

"Rrah!" Vegeta slammed his fist against the ground. "Well then what are you waiting for!? Do it, if you think you can!"

An insane giggle left 21's mouth as she now aimed her glowing finger at him. "Say cheese, Vegeta!"

"I won't let you!" a voice identical to her own shouted from behind her. With a sharp turn, the evil 21 could see her good half close in on her with spread arms. With a hard tackle, the two girls slammed hard against the ground. Vegeta watched as they wrestled one another, the evil half seeming particularly annoyed.

"Would you… get off of me, you twat!" the evil persona shouted.

"I won't allow you to eat anymore!" 21 shouted at her. She grunted and groaned at every push and pull her evil mirror image made, the pair having locked hands. "You're going to have to go through me if you want to- Ahh!"

A strong throw and the pink woman was rolled onto the ground with a whimper, a slight skid in the dirt left by her trail.

"Ugh..." The evil half placed both hands behind her head and pushed up, throwing her legs into the air and then landing on her feet. She let her arms fall to her sides and turned to look at her other half. "You really do disgust me, do you know that?" One step, two steps. She was upon her good form, glaring at her ominously with a raised chin, nary a smile on her face. "Someone oughta teach you some manners!"

A scream lifted into the sky. The faces of the group of warriors far from them watched as they tracked the good 21's ascent into the air. She flipped once before falling and slamming hard onto her side. With a wail, she rolled away to a stop, putting hands on her poor stomach.

A sadistic smirk came from the evil 21, now letting her leg fall. "That was a good scream there. Say, you're pretty good at that, aren't you?" She began to stride over to her once again, swaying her hips as she did so.

From far above, Goku watched, wishing he could just rush her now and stop her. Just a little bit more and the link would connect. She just had to last a couple more seconds. "Come on, 21, you can do it..."

The pink girl worked up a cough, a bit of dust puffing in the air. With weary eyes, she looked up towards her evil half, seeing her smile down upon her. Seeing her red eyes narrow in twisted pleasure, she turned her head away and placed a palm upon the ground, trying to push herself up.

"Aw, here, let me help you..." The evil 21 said. Behind the woman, her tail could be seen twisting and curling before rolling over elegantly and snaking through the air slowly over her fallen form, now hovering over and behind the good 21's neck.

Krillin's eyes shrunk, as did everyone's. They could hear 21's hacks and wails sound before being choked out. Without so much as a strain, the light purple woman lifted her slowly into the air, holding her with the end of her tail wrapped tightly around her neck.

"See, isn't that better?" her mocking tone was loud and clear. She gave an amused tilt her head, smiling a smile of insanity towards her better half, seeing her barely able to look back. "But you know, what good's a punching bag unless you PUNCH IT!"

A loud and hoarse scream sounded from the pink woman, both eyes opened wide with shrunken pupils. She could not believe how much it hurt. It was much worse than before, worse than she could have ever imagined. There was no way she should have been this strong. Was it because of the lack of the link? Was she truly this weak without it?

No…

It was from the waves coming from the evil 21. She was the source of the madness that was plaguing each and every one of them.

"Did you like that?" the evil woman said. "I'm most certain you did. Here," her eyes narrowed, filled with sadistic intentions. "Let's give you another, shall we?" Pulling her other fist back, she slammed it in with an exclamation of full satisfaction, letting her mouth hang wide open with a smile as she did so. However, her other half was feeling anything but satisfactory. She screamed out as much as she could, being thrown backwards by the force of her attack. Her eyes closed tightly, clenching her mouth after the brief raise in her voice. "And then another!"

She punched again, another loud scream coming from her prisoner.

"And again, and again, and again, and again!"

The others watched on with wide eyes, seeing one Android 21 torture the other, hearing a chilling laughter rise into the air. It only took a couple of seconds before she rapidly increased her speed, throwing one fist in only to pull it out and punch even harder with the other. They could hear the other girl's screams begin to turn into wails, and slowly they began to turn into sobs.

Krillin's hands clenched tightly, grunting in all the anger in the world as he watched the onslaught. "I… I can't take this anymore!" He pushed himself up to his feet and took a step forward before faltering. It was like he suddenly lost all of his strength again. He fell to a knee and placed a hand upon the ground to balance himself, panting all the while, tears growing at the edges of his eyes.

Piccolo, as well as Yamcha and Tien, continued to stare towards the mad display, hearing the good 21's cries begin to climb. The Namekian's eyes contorted and twitched, glaring harder and harder with every passing second. He was looking into the sweet girl's eyes, seeing them begin to roll up into her head, tears barely beginning to surface.

Gohan's eyes were wide with rage, his hands were digging harshly into the dirt more and more. Wind slowly began to blow from him, as weak as it were, his power was slowly growing. He was watching someone he came to care for being tortured. And he was too weak to stop it. It was like Cell all over again. He was just helpless, like he always deemed he was, unable to do anything, unable to stop their enemy. "Y-you… Bastard…" He lifted a fist, flexing his arm with angry tension. "You… won't get away with this."

The evil 21 laughed loudly and mightily as she hammered her fists into her pathetic prisoner repeatedly. "This is too good, I'm having so much fun right now! I never would have imagined that torture was this enjoyable!"

Android 21's wails began to quiet down, a tear rolling down the side of her face, the light in her eyes slowly draining away. Her oppressor continued to beat her relentlessly, getting stronger after every consecutive strike.

"Aw, what's wrong, cupcake? You losing consciousness? Don't worry..." Her glare narrowed with ill intent, reeling an open hand far back behind herself. "I'll wake you right up." The air around her palm turned a dark red before shrinking into a quaking ball of red and black. "Wakey wakey sleepy head!" She threw her hand forward, then found herself for some reason unable to do so. "Huh?" Confused, she turned her head to see a fist fly hard into her face.

With a loud grunt, the evil 21 was sent spinning on her feet as she stepped away in a daze, her tail unwrapping itself from her unfortunate prisoner. Goku shot forward and took the pink girl in his arms, now holding her up. He looked into her face, seeing her stare off into space with a blank stare. A growl came from the Saiyan, and he turned his sights up to see the other Android rub the back of her hand across her cheek, giving him a toothy smirk.

"I'll get you for this, 21!" The man lowered his head towards her, never letting his eyes leave her. "There's no sense in torturing her. She wasn't a threat to you anymore..."

His opponent lifted her hands up to her sides, letting them hang as she cocked a hip to the side. "Does it really matter? Sometimes I like to play with my food before eating it." Goku's glare tightened in response. Slowly, he laid 21 down onto the ground and took a step over her before setting off in a dash. The evil 21 responded in kind, and again, the two super powers clashed madly. They darted from one direction to the next. Krillin, as well as the rest of the spectators, watched as Goku and the evil Android 21 took blows at one another, mostly coming to ties or blocks of one kind of another. But every so often, they could see their enemy get a good hit in on Goku.

Vegeta growled as he pushed himself to sit up, gripping tight fists. "You better not lose, Kakarot. You better not!"

But with every quick strike, more and more of Goku's energy seemed to vanish, and Android 21's only continued to grow.

Goku threw fast punches, every strike held as much strength as the last. He intended to end this mad battle with every attack, and while he was enjoying the thrill of fighting an opponent that outclassed him in speed, strength, and agility, he could never work away that feeling in the back of his head. She was going to kill them all if he lost. He couldn't afford to lose. No matter how fun the fighting was, the games always had to come to an end.

His eyes widened, seeing her purple fist slam hard into his face. However, much to Android 21's chagrin, his own fist hammered hard into her own. The two super powers slowly hovered backwards.

Goku was panting. Their fight seemed to drag on, but with every passing minute, she was getting better and better. He was running low, it wouldn't be long before his number was up. His opponent didn't seem to be in much better shape. She was hurt, but it would only be a small matter of time before she'd be up and ready to fight yet again, as if nothing had ever happened, and even now she could still move just fine. Where as his injuries were piling on top of the other and his fatigue was beginning to drain on him, she was constantly being freshened up. He had to put an end to this quick, otherwise, they would all be going down her throat after being chewed to bits.

"Man..." he said while working up a smile. "This is bad. She's just too good…"

The saiyan's eyes narrowed as he gave one final idea in his head some thought.

"But should I really try? She's not just going to let me gather my strength."

 **Let's do it.**

"Huh?" Goku seemed completely surprised, turning to look at his chest. "But, are you sure?" Blinking, it would seem the answer was obvious. "Alright then, I'll leave this final hit to you and then we'll begin." Goku's body flared with a brilliant golden aura. His voice climbed to a fearful new height and his hair suddenly grew long and spiky, reaching down to his back.

His opponent seemed confused by this sudden change in her opponent. "What the!? What is this?"

Goku's eyes were intense, but she could only see him for barely a second before he rushed head on at her and threw a fist. With a quick reaction, he lifted a hand and with much struggle, caught the Super Saiyan 3's fist in her grasp. But Goku was fast, he instantly revolved and sent a hard kick into her stomach. The woman's eyes shrunk as did her eyes. She barely moved back a good bit before Goku screamed even more, summoning as much power as he could possibly muster.

 **We can do this!**

Before the evil woman, a striking and powerful aqua blue light came upon her. As she barely retreated a step back, her red eyes widened to see what seemed to be solid flakes of light blue energy break off of the Saiyan in small bits in pieces before his aura flared and exploded valiantly. Before her was now a Super Saiyan that was bathed in blue. Being totally confused, she was at a loss.

"What… What is this?!"

Goku smiled at her. "Super Saiyan." A sudden rush, a punch was thrown, and then a scream faded. Goku smirked forward as his fist was left hanging strongly in the air. "Super Saiyan Blue."

A large exhale of exhaustion came from the saiyan, his blue aura suddenly vanishing. He panted strongly and slowly lowered down to the earth. With a quick look, he could see he bought some manner of time to recuperate a little bit.

"Man… I didn't think changing into Super Saiyan Blue would take so much out of me… Oh well, what's done is done." He looked to his chest. "Sorry, I don't think I'll be fighting anymore right now. If we're going to do this, we have to do it right now."

Goku ran forward to see many of his injured buddies and allies had all made it towards Android 21. He approached the group just in time for Piccolo to greet him.

"That was a nice hit, Goku."

"Yeah, thanks." the man lifted a hand behind his head and began to scratch his hair. "But it really winded me. I'm wiped out."

Piccolo smirked at him with a closure of his eyes. "I'm impressed you managed to summon that much of your power." His smile vanished. "But don't think for one second that will be enough to stop her."

"I know..." Goku took some steps forward, now coming towards the pink girl lying upon the ground, her head resting in Android 18's arms and lap. "The soul inside me wants to know how our friend's doing."

Android 21's blue eyes could barely open, but she smiled kindly towards them. "She's… recovering. If it weren't for my superior regenerative properties, I..." she winced, "I don't think I would have been able to move after that."

"Looks like you still can't." Goku put his hands on his hips and bent over somewhat to get a better look at her. "You think you're going to be okay?"

Android 18 turned her head to look at Goku. "She'll be fine. What we need to focus on is how to end all of this."

"Yeah, I know." Goku said before showing a confident smile to the group. "But don't worry, I've got a plan."

"Really?" Krillin asked, taking a step forward. "So what is it, Goku?"

Vegeta huffed up a gruff. "Yes, please go ahead and tell us your magnificent plan, Kakarot… We're all literally dying to hear it."

Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin gave Vegeta flat eyes as the prince crossed his arms and turned away.

"Simple." Goku opened a palm and softly slammed the bottom of his other fist into it. "We're going to use a Spirit Bomb."

"Huh?" most of the group said in unison.

"A Spirit Bomb?" Krillin asked. "You think that will work?"

"We can give it a shot, or we can keep repeating this battle over and over again." Goku gave a smile before glaring forward. "Look, it's our only chance. I don't think we'll be able to beat her any other way..."

Piccolo huffed a brief chuckle as he turned away. "Well, it worked on Majin Buu… No reason it won't work here. But do you think it will be strong enough, and how long do you think it is going to take you to charge it?"

Goku lifted a fist up. "It shouldn't take too long, assuming everyone will cooperate. What the real problem is the other Android 21."

Vegeta growled as he shot his glare at the other saiyan. "Then get a move on! We don't have much time!"

"NO, YOU DON'T!" an angry and feminine voice shouted. With a panic, all heads turned to see the purple skinned Android 21 standing not too far from them, her face seething with rage.

An angry step forward, her foot burying harshly into the ground.

"You ape..."

Another furious stomp.

"How dare you!"

She gripped a rage filled fist, throwing it strongly across her side and she leaned in, her eyes shrinking in spiraling madness.

"Food does not bite back! I am the eater!" She leaned forward. "I am the connoisseur!"

Her hands balled tight fists and she threw them up with a fit of a scream.

"You are the candy here! Not me! I'll make you pay!"

Android 18 turned to look at Goku. "It's now or never, Goku. Get going."

"Right." the black haired saiyan gave a firm nod before taking to the air. "But you guys are going to have to hold her off, got it?"

In 18's arms, the good 21's eyes furrowed. Her fists balled up tightly, staring towards her evil personified. "I'll do it."

"Huh?" 18 turned down.

"No, I'll go." Piccolo took a step forward. "Hurry and link up with me!"

The evil 21 growled loudly in frustration, glaring towards the Namekian. "If you think I'm just going to let you, then you're dreaming." She reeled back her hand, creating a medium sized ball of flaming red and black energy and sending it hurling.

On the ground, the good 21 closed an eye and lifted her hand up, an energy ball of her own forming and firing off, colliding with the bringer of Piccolo's demise.

"Why you..." the evil 21 seethed, her fists shaking with fury.

The good 21 turned her head upwards to Goku. "Please, hurry!"

Goku smiled as he kept his arms high, feeling the presence of the soul finally depart from him. A glowing ball of light slowly emerged from Goku's chest and quickly fell down towards the ground. With a waver, the ball steadily made its way to Android 21.

"No, she can't fight as she is!" 18 pushed with an urgent voice. "Link with me, I'll hold her off."

"No." 21 said with a firm tone. "It has to be me. With the link, I'm the only person capable for an extended period of time."

"But, you're hurt." 18 retorted. "I can't just let you-"

"I'll be fine, 18."

Their eyes watched as the dazzling ball hovered over 21's chest before slowly sinking into her. She gave a light pleasurable pant, feeling energy begin to flood the whole of her being. A smile came to her, she could feel her injuries, as bad as they were, beginning to heal. Putting a hand on her knee, she forced herself up and took to her feet.

"Get back, everyone."

Piccolo narrowed his glare towards the matching pair before abiding by her request. "Just don't do anything stupid out there."

The evil 21 stared her other half down with a growl. She turned her head up to Goku to see him holding a glowing ball of white and blue, seeing it steadily grow in size and in power.

"You… I'll kill you." She lifted a hand up, taking aim at him and firing off a shot.

"No!"

Seeing her attack be met with another once again, the evil android set her eyes on her other half.

"Like I said..." Her blue eyes narrowed in full commitment, "you're going to have to go through me."

A loud growl of growing fury came, the evil 21's eyes furrowing deeper and deeper with every second. "FINE!" she shouted.

With a sudden jump forward, the two finally made contact, and they were off.

From one side of the battlefield to the next, they were meeting each other's attacks head on. Loud booms rang across the air, large sections of land were blowing apart. The two copies suddenly appeared on the ground, the good and evil fighting harshly. A high kick was blocked by the pink girl, appearing quite strained when doing so. The ground shook from the might of the attack, and with lightning fast speed, the evil version threw a punch hard at her chest.

Unable to dodge it, 21 took the full force of her attack. With a painful gasp, she took a step back before the other pounced into the air and threw a kick across her face. Landing, she began to slash and hack at her stomach and chest, throwing her from left to right in a feral fury.

"You die!" the evil 21 screamed, baring her fangs angrily at her other.

A spin was giving, taking a glorious stance and her tail rolled up, flailing at 21 and uncurling hard and throwing the full of its force into the good 21's bosom. A loud scream came as she was lifted off of her feet and flying a distance away.

"No you don't!" With a reach forward, the evil 21's arm suddenly began to extend. Her open palm slammed hard against 21's bare stomach, making her cough out and she felt the wind suddenly began to whisk by her. She was traveling at an insane speed backwards and then her world was suddenly changed.

A large dust explosion surfaced from a far, one that made Gohan, Piccolo, 18, and their comrades flinch at heavily. The evil 21 closed an eye as she could feel the ground shake multiple times as large boulders collapsed, caving into the indention she created. "Not yet." Stretching, she forced her arm upwards and over her head, bringing along the rest of her extended arm, soundly ripping the good persona of herself from her cavern. Clouds of dust followed after, but they quickly vanished as she was soaring through the air. With a large arc, her head was sent hard into the dirt far beneath her, but it wasn't the end.

The evil 21 suddenly began to retract her arm with a scary speed, dragging her opponent across the ground. In her other, she soundly prepared a growing ball of red and black, ready to blast her opponent. As their distance was finally closed, she could barely hear the sound of her opponent's groans before giving a good knee into her fair stomach.

21's mouth was wide open, spitting out saliva upon the impact.

"Here you go!" Throwing her arm to her, she slapped the energy ball hard into the side of 21's face, sending her flying away once again.

Piccolo growled, clenching a tight fist. "This was a bad idea. I knew I should have been the one going out there."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed as his own fingers began to tighten their grips on his biceps, taking to tapping with an index finger at his growing aggravation. "I could have beaten her..."

Gohan relunctantly turned his head down. "It's not about beating her..." Piccolo and Vegeta, as well as 18, 17, and the others, turned to the young adult. His fists were clenching, it was easy to tell he was full of worry for the girl. "Out of all of us, she's the only one who can tank her attacks hard enough and long enough for my dad to complete the Spirit Bomb."

Piccolo's eyes slowly widened as he finally realized why 21 was so persistent. He slowly turned to take a look at Goku. The saiyan's face was anything but relaxed. He was stressed, but not from making the Spirit Bomb. His eyes were watching the battle, seeing the pink woman be tossed around at their expense. It was heart breaking, he would have much rather been the one to hold her off.

The evil 21 was screaming full of rage, throwing one ball of energy before following up immediately with another. She was burying her opponent alive with red and black. "Die, die, die, die!"

On the other end of her attack, 21 was barely able to block off the attack, shaking with every blow she received.

"Damn you!" she could hear her other scream. The relentless barrage of energy finally came to a stop. Instead, she lifted her head to see her nightmare take to the air and rush towards her, fists balled and at her sides.

With a struggle, 21 barely got to her feet and lifted her own fists up for battle. She approached, an angry glare was her greeting, as was a loud hiss. She slung a fist at her, 21 barely able to block it.

The evil one was stronger however, and she pulled back and threw another once again at her. 21 barely managed to throw off every punch thrown her way, but her opponent was smart, and had an endless array of tricks at her disposal.

21 was surprised to see her evil self thrust an open palm straight to her head. She stared at it with wide eyes, unable to push back the shock upon her heart. Before her nightmare's hand spawned a red and black ball of chaotic energy. It grew fast in size, becoming half the size of her body. Grunting, 21 lifted both hands up and pushed them upon the sphere. Wind began to blow in strong gusts from the pair. 21 desperately pushed forward, her body now leaning upon her legs with all the strength she could muster, but she was on the lower end. Her evil self was hovering high over her on the other side of the attack, pushing at her with only one arm.

18 stared towards the frightening display with utter despair. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face. Her teeth clenched tightly in growing anxiety. "Why… Why didn't they choose me?" she muttered.

"Huh?" 17 turned to look at his twin, seeing her reach for her chest and clench a fist in frustration.

The blonde woman growled lowly, shaking her head from left to right before suddenly lifting her head up high and behind her. "Hey, come on! How long is that thing going to take before its ready, Goku! She can't keep this up forever!"

Goku groaned, staring towards the fight between the two tailed women. "I know! It shouldn't be too long now. She just has to hold on for a few more minutes!"

"She might not be alive in a few more minutes, Goku!" 18 angrily shouted as she threw a hand to the side and taking a step towards him.

Krillin walked up to 18 and took her hand in his own, quickly taking her attention. "Calm down, 18. No one here wants her to die, we're all doing what we can, but if Goku throws the Spirit Bomb now when he believes its not ready, then all of the suffering 21 will have endured would be nothing."

"But-"

Krillin furrowed his brows, making the woman stop her words in their tracks. "Believe in Goku, okay? If you can't believe in him, then trust me when I say it's all going to be okay."

18's blue eyes shook as she stared at her husband, feeling the strong torrents of wind blow them by. "Kr-" she stuttered, "Krillin..."

The two 21's continued to push at one another, each growling and grunting with the same intensity.

"You'll lose!" the evil one shouted, "I'll make you!" The good 21 closed her eyes tight, feeling her legs begin to buckle under the growing strength and weight upon her. "You're going to die in agony and in pain! There's no other fate for you!"

A scream came, she lost her grip. The energy ball fell forward. Hearing her cry, Android 18, as well as all of those around her, shot their eyes to the furious fight. Goku's eyes stared on towards the black explosion of red light.

Winds blew across the field of battle, seeing a lone silhouette slowly float out towards them. All eyes focused on the shadow in the mayhem, seeing it barely surface. Beholding bright pink came to grace their eyes.

"21!" Gohan began to cheer out, lifting a fist up in hopes that she was going to be okay. But something was immediately wrong.

Her feet were off of the ground, and they were limp, as was the rest of her body. She was barely breathing, eyes closed in pain like a pitiful child. Behind 21 was another form, one at ease but full of anger. The purple skinned and evil Android 21 was glaring back at them with black and red eyes. She was holding the other 21 up with her left hand, holding high and true as if she were a trophy that was claimed.

Gohan growled and took a battle stance, as did Piccolo and Tien. Krillin balled both of his fists by his sides, as did 18 and 17. Yamcha clapped both of his hands together, energy coursing through his body and down his arms. With a powerful separation, a bright yellow ball of energy was formed between his hands, shocking those around him.

"Yamcha?" Krillin shouted. "You can form an attack!?"

Piccolo smirked. "That's right, the waves don't work on him as well as they do the rest of us."

"Here!" Yamcha shouted, "take this, and never come back!" With a sound step forward, he gave a powerful pitch of his energy ball, sending it hurling at the evil 21, whose glare tightened at its sound approach.

A large explosion surfaced, making Yamcha give a cheer and pump up a fist.

"Yeah, that's the way to do it-"

Victory abruptly cut short, the evil 21 merely walked through the attack, approaching the group slowly, but surely.

"Bu-but I..."

Piccolo groaned as his shoulders slumped forwards. "That's right, the waves don't work on Yamcha as well as they do the rest of us..."

The evil woman stopped short ways from the group before giving a sadistic smirk to them. "You guys want to watch her die?"

A collective gasp, each warrior took a step back except for one spiky haired man. The evil 21's smirk widened until she felt a tinge of movement from the person she was holding. Eyes moving to look at her, suddenly the other 21's body sprang to life and with a final and desperate cry, she gave a good kick into the middle of her evil's stomach. Being caught off guard completely, the evil half of herself took wavering steps back and held her midsection.

"Y-you! When did you start to heal so quickly!?"

Android 21 panted heavily, falling to her knee and closing an eye. "With… the link… my power… is much greater than before… So…"

An angry growl. "No matter, I'll just beat you down again, no matter how many times it takes before I finally kill you!"

"HEY!" Goku's voice shouted loudly. With that, every head turned to look at the black haired saiyan that was smiling down to them. "All of you, clear the way! The Spirit Bomb is ready!"

"What?" the evil 21 took a step back. "No, that's not possible! I should have had more time!"

Without needing to be told twice, the group of warriors turned to make good distance from their enemy, Tien latching a good hold around the good 21's waist and carrying her off.

"No you don't!" the evil one screamed, taking off into a sprint after them. Seeing this, the good android wasted no time in taking aim at her and firing off a strong energy blast of her own. Unable to dodge it, the target of the shot crossed both of her arms between it and herself, again being pushed backwards. As soon as Goku deemed that the group had made enough distance, he gave a big grin and threw both of his arms forward.

Feeling the strong light upon her, the evil woman looked up towards the attack with shrunken and wide eyes. Alone she stood before the mighty beast of an attack, and she had nowhere to run.

"No..." Her head shook from side to side, she couldn't believe that it had happened. "No, this… This won't be where my end lies!" She clenched her teeth in anger. "You won't ever **stop ME!"**

With a dramatic pull back, she leaned forward on her feet and strongly threw a single hand towards the gargantuan. A loud hum sounded all around them, and the large Spirit Bomb was somehow slowed in its descent.

Goku's eyes widened at seeing the Spirit Bomb be held off once again. "What!? You mean she can fight it too!?"

Piccolo's eyes shook at the sight. "This can't be..."

Krillin's brows furrowed deeply. "Only the pure can make contact with that attack. She's the evil half of Android 21, so if she truly is everything that was evil of 21, then that would make her pure evil."

The evil 21 grunted and growled with every passing second, pushing harder and harder against the giant energy ball. "You won't get me, not with this. I'll… I'll destroy you all!" The ground beneath her was slowly beginning to break apart, her heels were digging into the soil, and yet her footing never shook. "I'll kill you all… I'm going to eat you all! Every last one of you! You'll be my treats! To warm and fill my belly!"

Goku was taken aback, was what he saw an illusion. No, it must have been his imagination. "For a second there, I thought I saw the Spirit Bomb get pushed back-" He felt a force come upon him. The saiyan jolted for a second, placing his other hand against his arm. "It is!? I'm getting pushed back."

"This can't be..." Android 18 said, staring with wide eyes towards the evil 21. She had a smile on her face. That same smile that she always wore when she was the one in control. It sickened her. And yet, there was nothing she could do to fight it. "Goku," 18 shouted out, "she's gaining control!"

Goku pushed and pushed, bet alas, he did not have the strength to contest her. "I… I can't maintain control over the Spirit Bomb! I don't have the power!"

"What!?" Piccolo shouted.

"You're kidding!" 17 said. "You gotta be joking Goku, just put an end to this already!"

Goku tried as hard as he could. His arms and body were straining more and more with every passing moment, struggling to hold control over the attack. "I..." He closed his eyes tight. "I can't!"

Hearing this, many of the warrior's hearts fell. Despair came across their faces one after the other. The good Android 21 blinked with wide eyes, slowly taking her eyes off of the orange clothed man.

Vegeta growled, lifting a fist up. "What? What do you mean you "can't"!?"

"She's too strong!" his voice sounded from above. "I don't have the energy, without the link, I… I can't hope to challenge her." his voice began to sink.

Gohan stared up in utter shock at the revelation, unable to say a word. He didn't know what to do, it was impossible. Was beating Android 21 truly impossible? Was there nothing no one could do.

From below the Spirit Bomb, the rapid rushes of its energy was paramount, but its target was smiling forward with wide eyes of ambition. Her hands were clenching tightly around the sphere that was meant to be her demise, she was winning. In no time, she would seize control, and then the battle would be hers. "I'm going to have such a delightful feast." Her mouth began to salivate. "First, I'm going to eat you Goku, and when I'm done with you, I'll have your son next!"

Goku's brows arched down at hearing her declaration. At this rate, that may just become a reality. If that happened, then the entire world, and even more would be at her complete and total mercy. Unless there were someone out there willing to put a stop to her, she would devour the entire universe.

Just the thought of a universe completely empty of any and all life was daunting. But it would happen, he saw the possibilities of it before countless times.

No! This would not be the last time he would fight. Somehow, he and all of his friends managed to beat the odds stacked against them time and time again. And he would make sure it happened this time, no matter what!

Upon the ground, Android 21 watched her superior's struggle begin to vanish and turn to control. In a fight for control, she always had the upper hand. It was the same with her for all of that time. All the pain and suffering she would have to endure because of it, all the things she had been forced to do. The death of 16. Just thinking on that moment when she herself destroyed him brought a tear to her eye. And here was everyone else, about to be destroyed by her.

What could she do? She didn't want to, but now there seemed to be no other option. The thoughts going through her head scared her.

Slowly, her fists uncurled and she brought her arms up, folding them one over the other until she was holding herself. Her eyes looked down to the ground heavy thought, shaking at going over every little detail. It was maddening, her heart was telling her to go, but her mind and body were begging her not to.

Why!? Why must she always have to fight against herself? She didn't understand. The thought of dying scared her so badly, so so badly… But… something else scared her even more. It was the thought of her evil self… The mental images of seeing her friends being turned into treats and eaten one by one. Gohan… Goku… Vegeta… Krillin. Yamcha. Tien. Piccolo. And 17 and 18.

Her eyes opened wide.

She knew what she had to do. There was no longer any denying it. Despite how much she wished not to, this was the only way it could end.

 **There's another way. I know there is! Don't do this!**

A calm smile came upon the pink woman's face. She lifted a hand and rested it softly upon her bosom. "It's fine… Really. Don't worry about me… After all..." Her smile vanished as her eyes began to swim with water. "I'm… I'm a monster too..."

 **We can figure this out.**

"Thank you… For everything. If it weren't for you, we would have never made it this far..."

Piccolo's ear twitched. Barely hearing her whispering, he turned his head to see the woman kneeling on the ground now next to Tien's feet.

 **You don't have to die.**

Android 21's eyes closed slowly as she took up to her feet. With a graceful turn, she stared towards 18, and feeling her eyes, the other android returned her gaze.

"18." Android 21 began with a soft voice and smile. "Thank you so much for all of your help. I have one last thing to ask of you..."

"One… last thing?" 18 asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

The rest of the group turned to look at the woman as she said those words. "Hey..." Tien said, taking a small step towards her. "What are you planning?" Android 21 turned to look to her chest. "Come on, answer me."

"18… Would you please take good care of the soul inside of me. Please, make sure they get home safe and sound."

"Hey- what are you-" 18 asked when suddenly a bright glowing golden light emerged from Android 21's chest. Taking her hand softly around it, the pink android gave it a light push. The men around them all stood clear of its path as it eased steadily to Android 18's body and then sunk slowly into her.

The android could feel her power return to her, lifting her own hands up to her chest before lifting her gaze back to 21. Then, it all became too clear to her. In that moment, she knew what was going to happen.

"No, 21 won't, DON'T!" 18 screamed out with all the desperation in the world.

White light flared around Android 21 and she took off flying towards the Spirit Bomb. Before anyone could say or do anything, it was too late. Goku, Vegeta, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, Piccolo, 17, and 18 all watched with wide eyes as she flew forward without so much as a look back.

The flight was long, it was like her world had slowed down, she had sentenced herself. There was no backing out now, this was it. This would be the end for her… And for her monster. Furrowing her brows, she flew fast and under the weight of the Spirit Bomb, and after finally coming over the horizon, she could see her nightmare standing there, having immediately laid her eyes upon her with panic.

"Wha-" she muttered, completely shocked by her good half's sudden appearance. "What are you doing!?"

Android 21 made contact, slamming head on into her stomach and wrapping her arms around her waist. The evil 21's balance was completely thrown off, she lost all control she had attained over the powerful ball of energy over the both of them, and together, they were tumbling to the ground. "We're going to die together!" Android 21's blue eyes furrowed deeply, full of unwavering resolve. "You and I! We won't hurt anyone ever again!"

"NO!" the evil half screamed. "NOO!" She lifted her gaze in full fear, seeing the blinding light upon her, completely enshrouding them. It began to burn. She could feel her body begin to be eaten away. **"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

Their screams surfaced loudly, screams of utter agony, pain, and torment. Her red eyes were glued to the blinding light. It hurt so badly. This was not real, there was no way it was real.

"I'm… Superior… To every single one of you… I'm not just… perfection! I AM A GOD!"

Struggling to sustain herself, her cells began to rapidly multiply. She was pouring every ounce of her strength and power into her regeneration, but it was all in futility. Nothing was working. Her screams of terror finally broke through. She was scared, this was it. This was the end. Tears were flying from her eyes.

"I had you all! I had you all in my hands! This! CAN'T BE! I AM!"

Hanging around her, the good 21 was also feeling every bit of pain as she. It was horrifying, the light was bleeding everywhere. The end was here, and yet, despite the pain, despite the suffering, despite the despair of the inevitable death over her, she felt solace. Everything was slowly disappearing. Her screams. Her scent. Her life. It would all vanish.

Peace was over her. She could finally close her eyes and know that it was all finally over.

And then, a large explosion. The entirety of the Supreme Kai's world was shaken, a blinding light surfaced which blanketed the skies and the grass. The eyes of everyone became shielded by their arms. The wind which blown was a fierce one, a wind they all stood against. Minutes ago, a force such as this would have blew them away, but now, they could stand strong. Their power, the ultimate sign of the evil that was Android 21, had been returned to them.

Finally, they knew that the day had been won.

As the turmoil and smoke finally began to settle down, the warriors upon the green world let their arms slowly fall, seeing the results of Goku's final resort. Each warrior stared towards the sight, seeing pillars of smoke pillow high into the air as the saiyan in the orange gi finally touchdown upon the ground. He stared forward, having no words to give. While he was indeed happy that the fight was in their victory, it came at a great cost.

"21..." Android 18's voice shook. Her legs buckled before she fell onto them, her husband walking to her side and kneeling down, resting a hand on her shoulder in support. "Why… Why did you have to die?.."

Vegeta crossed his arms strongly over his chest, glaring forward to the charcoal ground, seeing no signs of their enemy resurrecting. "She sacrificed herself to destroy the enemy. Not anyone could do that." He closed his eyes and turned his head away.

Piccolo, as well as Tien, Yamcha, 17, and Krillin each bowed their heads in respect.

"She was nice..." Tien said. "I think we could have been good sparring partners. Such a shame."

"Yeah. She was a looker too." Yamcha rubbed his arm with a hand before feeling a jab in his ribs. Looking, he could see 17 at his side, his elbow slightly extended to him. "Well, I mean… Darn…" He hung his head down, feeling sorry for the android. "She may have been an android, but still, she was human enough, right? I mean, she had a heart."

Gohan gave a consensual nod, fully agreeing with Yamcha's statement. "You sure got that right. She was almost like a mother." He gripped a tight fist. "Man… I wish I could have done something, but I just… I just-"

Goku walked over and planted a firm hand on his son's shoulder, earning a sorrowful look from him. "Don't blame yourself, Gohan." Goku said. "There was nothing anyone could do."

"Well, it would seem we are a bit late to the party." a new voice greeted. Turning, they could see

"Lord Beerus!?" Goku shouted. "And Whis too?"

"Hey!" a woman's voice angrily shouted out. Stepping out from behind the pair of godly beings was their practically all knowledgeable colleague, Bulma. "I'm here too, you know."

Vegeta turned to look at her. "How in the hell did you get here, woman?"

"More importantly," Goku said, "I wanna know what you're doing here." he motioned his fingers to Beerus and Whis.

"Well..." the calm voice of the God of Destruction started, "Bulma said she would prepare us a fabulously tasting feast. So we came over to her place."

Bulma cast her judging eyes to the pair while cocking an eyebrow up and crossing her arms. "You mean you weren't at all worried about all of this? The fate of the earth was resting on this fight, you know."

"Yeah yeah, remember, that's not our problem." Beerus casually waved her comment off whilst closing his eyes. "So, we've heard the situation. Where's this Android 21 now?" he took a look around before stopping his eyes upon the crater far before them, as did the angelic being Whis.

"Oh my..." he muttered.

Krillin's head hang down, a sorrowful air over him. "Both Android 21's were destroyed by Goku's Spirit Bomb. The good one sacrificed herself to take her down."

Whis blinked as he stared at the slowly fading smoke before turning to look at the earthling.

"The bad one somehow managed to take control of my Spirit Bomb." Goku explained. "I guess she saw that I was losing and decided to rush in after her."

"Is that so?" Whis said with his casual light tone. "So what is that over there, not Android 21?"

"Huh?" most of the group shot their gazes towards the crater. With a closer look, one could indeed see something strange amongst the black and brown and through the pillars of smoke. There was some… pink that could be seen.

A gasp. Android 18 immediately rushed forward, and she was quickly followed by her brother and her husband. Seeing this, Vegeta also dashed forward with Goku, Tien, Gohan, and Yamcha hot on his tail. With a bit of a smirk, Beerus gave Whis a look before folding his hands behind his back and strolling forward.

The group gathered around the body in the crater. As Beerus came to stand upon the highest peak in order to get a view, he could see a pink skinned woman with white long and bushy hair laying inside, covered in injuries that were much too great for her to have even survived. "That's strange, I thought you said they both got hit by the Spirit Bomb." Beerus mentioned.

"Well, they did, but…" Goku rubbed the back of his hair. "I don't get it. It seems the good one is… alright?"

Whis shook his head. "No, Goku. She's far from okay."

Some of the warriors turned to look at the blue man. "What do you mean?" Android 18 asked. "Tell me. Now."

Whis lifted his chin up. "You'll discover for yourself when she begins to speak."

A cough came, earning their attention. The group could see Android 21's eyes begin to crack open, and slowly, her eyelids parted and bright blue eyes looked up to the teal and pink sky. She blinked in exhaustion, having no energy left at all. She slowly looked around, seeing faces surrounding her, some further than others.

"21!" 17 shouted, taking a step closer and leaning down. 18 got on her knees and put her hand behind her head, lifting it from the ground.

"21..." she said. "Here, let me help you."

A wince came, making the blonde android halt her actions. Slowly, she lifted her head up and held it in her hands, supporting her against her knees.

Whis studied the pink female before nodding. "I think I understand why she was not destroyed in the blast."

"Huh?" Goku asked. "You do?"

Gohan lifted both of his fists up and turned to the angel. "Please, tell us!"

"Well, you said Goku used a Spirit Bomb, correct? If I recall correctly, that is a technique taught to the kais. Those balls of energy are only capable to destroying those with evil in their hearts, yes? So, if this one lacked all evil, then it would only make sense she was not destroyed."

"OH!" Goku exclaimed with a smile. "You're right, I totally forgot about that."

"But… look at her." Gohan said as he cast his gaze down to her. "She's so… hurt."

"Well of course she is." Whis said as if it was obvious. "She was caught in the blast, nothing can shield you from that."

Gohan's gaze cast down sadly, turning back to look at 21.

The pink woman's eyes finally began to relax as did her body, a small and grateful smile on her face. "I'm so glad… that you're all okay."

"Yeah." Android 18 gave a good nod. "It's thanks to you we are."

"Don't worry." Goku said. "I'll have a senzu bean prepped for you if they're all not gone. We'll have you up in no time."

"I… don't think that will... work for me..." Android 21 gave a bit of a small laugh before a cough came. "Everything hurts… It hurts so much…"

The faces of everyone stared towards her, seeing her breathing become fainter and fainter.

"H-hey… Is the… soul… okay?" she asked, shaking with every small movement she made to look 18 in her eyes. "Are they… angry?"

18 blinked, unsure how to answer her second question. Unlike the soul, she was incapable of knowing what it was thinking or feeling. But she knew one thing for sure. "Yeah. They're alright. You need to save your strength, 21. Rest and heal."

"Heh..." she chuckled again, lighter than before. "I don't think I… can heal anymore." Her smile began to contort. "My body… everything feels so… awful. There's so much… pain."

"21!" 18 shouted. "Hang in there, don't you die on me! Do you hear me!"

Goku knelt down by her side, "Hey, hold on! You're going to be fine!"

"Wow..." she shook before suddenly becoming completely limp. "I… can't feel the… pain anymore..." The light in her eyes faded away, the expression upon her face contorting. "I can't… see you… or hear you anymore..." Her eyes began to squeeze, tears surfacing across her lashes. "What's going to happen to me… I'm scared..."

"21!" 18 shouted. "21!" She pulled her closer to her chest, hoisting her upon her lap.

"It's dark!" she screamed, clearly in a scared and frantic panic, unable to move anything else but her head. "I… I don't want to die… all alone… Say something… anything… Please, somebody…"

"We're here, 21!" Krillin said, taking her hand into his own.

"I don't want-to… be all alone…" Tears were rolling down the sides of her face. "I..." Her voice choked up, her eyes stared off into the nothingness only she could see. "I..." Weak. Faint. And quiet. It was without most of what she knew. It was almost foreign. "Uh-" Barely a squeak.

18's eyes widened, seeing all light in her fade away. "21?" she asked. She hoisted her up, again, and she felt the last of her strength finally disappear. A final breath left 21's lips, and 18 took in a long and quiet gasp.

The group stood by her side, seeing her completely unmoving. She was silent. There was not a sliver of life left within her. 18 blinked, staring at the corpse of someone she could have come to call a friend. Someone who only sought redemption and to take responsibility for all the trouble she unwillingly caused. She continued to look to her face, seeing her blank and empty eyes stare up into the sky. The trails of her tears were still gleaming down the sides of her head, fading into her white locks. It was melancholic sight to behold, one that was much unlike others they have experienced in the past.

"Well." Beerus said, "I guess that's that." Whis gave a slow nod. "It's too bad, had she had the strength to endure, she probably would have made a good member for the universal tournament that will be hosted soon."

Goku blinked as he looked down at her, giving a slow and quiet sigh before letting his head fall. Piccolo, as well as Vegeta, knowing full well what it took to give one's life for another, too gave their respects, though silently, to her.

Gohan turned to look at 18 and Krillin, seeing them both stare at her, 18 appearing more affected than her husband. He guessed he could sympathize, after all, the two of them knew each other better than the rest of them, but he could already tell in the short time they spent together she wished for nothing more than pleasantries for them.

"Come on, guys… We should… probably get going."

Goku placed his hands on his hips as Krillin helped 18 up to her feet. Piccolo made his way over to Android 21's body and bent down and carefully scooped her up into his arms. "We shouldn't leave her like this." he said. "Let's take her to earth, she would have been wanted to be buried at her home."

"Yeah." Goku gave a nod with a smile. "I wonder, should we wish her back with the dragon balls?"

Vegeta turned his head to him. "What?"

"You want to wish her back, dad?" Gohan asked. "I mean, I guess, but I mean, she sacrificed herself. Would it even work?"

"Hmm, you have a point there." Goku lifted a finger to his chin, going over the chances of actual succession. "Ooh, but maybe with Namek's dragon balls-"

"Goku." Whis said. "I think you're missing the biggest point of all behind her sacrifice."

"Huh?" he asked, as did the rest of the group.

"You are aware this all started because she needed to feed, right? Well, despite her nature, she still retained the same qualities that the evil one did. In the future, she would had to eventually eat again, and if she pushed it back, she'd lose herself to her hunger, maybe even completely. I have no doubt in my mind that all of this would have repeated itself further on down the line had she have survived. I'm certain she took that into consideration."

"Oh… Huh, I guess you're right about that…" Goku looked down. "Geez, what a bummer… So we can't… get her back."

"Well, it could be possible, but I think we're better off seeing what she thinks first."

Whis turned around and began to walk away towards the large transparent cube the small trio arrived in, Beerus walking by his side. As the two departed from the group, Beerus leaned towards the blue skinned angel and with a whisper, "Say, couldn't you, you know, fix her issues or something?"

Whis gave a haughty smile to himself. "I'll let them figure that out. She may prove useful to us in the future, so I think we should look into this. Who knows, maybe we'll surprise them?.."

A satisfied grunt came from the cat-like god of the destruction before he stopped and turned around. "Hey, come on, you lot. I'm getting hungry and I don't feel like waiting much longer."

"Besides." Whis continued, "I think we need to focus on getting our guest in there home now, don't you agree?"

Android 18 stuttered before looking down to her chest. She then smiled a small smile and lifted her hand towards herself, "I guess you're right. I'm certain you must be pretty tired too after all of this. Don't worry, we're going to get you where you belong, and who knows, maybe we'll meet each other one day. You know where to find us."

"Yeah." Goku shouted excitedly, coming in front of 18 and putting his hands on his hips with a small lean forward. The others behind the man also gave 18, or more the soul inside of her, their eyes and faces. "We'll be looking forward to seeing you, and who knows, maybe we could have ourselves a nice friendly spar if you're feeling up to it. I'm certain you could become something even greater than you are now! Let's hope we can meet, huh!"

He gave a big salute before turning and walking away, Piccolo, as well as Gohan, Android 17, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha following suit with a farewell smile. But still, the heaviness of Android 21's poor demise and struggle weighed heavy on the soul's heart. That person, whoever they could have been, would remember her sacrifice, the sacrifice that not only saved the warriors fighting on the planet that day, but also their own life and everything they knew.


End file.
